Fully eversible beverage receptacle

ABSTRACT

An elastomeric containment receptacle has at least one sidewall defining a container substantially surrounding and enclosing a predetermined volume for housing a substance to be contained within the receptacle. The at least one sidewall includes a substance-contacting surface. The receptacle is reversibly transformable between a first stable conformation, wherein the substance-contacting surface faces inward, and a second stable conformation, wherein the substance-contacting surface faces outward. In other words, the receptacle is fully eversible, allowing for facile cleaning and drying of the receptacle interior. The receptacle possesses sufficient structural strength to stand without extraneous support. The eversible receptacle can be adapted to serve as a nursing bottle or other beverage receptacle. The receptacle can include a nipple or other receptacle cap, and an attachment joint for securing the cap to the elastomeric receptacle.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to receptacles, such as beverage receptacles,which are constructed substantially of an elastomeric material such thatthe receptacles are fully eversible and resilient.

BACKGROUND

Beverage receptacles can be difficult to clean, as an inherentconsequence of the basic shape requirements. In particular, the beveragecontacting surface is not amenable to manual washing, as the interiorsurface is recessed and difficult to contact. This is particularly thecase for beverage receptacles which often contain powdered drinks, suchas baby formula or protein powder. Nursing bottles, for example, oftenneed to be washed with an extended scrubbing brush which is capable ofaccessing the inner recesses of the receptacle. Failure to properlyclean the inner portion of a beverage receptacle can result inmicrobiotic growth, and illness for subsequent users of the receptacle.

Various solutions to these problems have been proposed by those skilledin the art. For example, see U.S. Published Application No.2009/0108009; Japanese Published Application No. JP200393477; PCTPublished Application No. WO2012/115491; Korean Publication No.1020110024959; U.S. Pat. No. 8,267,271; U.S. Pat. No. 5,591,110; PCTPublished Application No. WO2010/121800; and a commercialized productsold under the name of TIGEX(http://www.tigex.com/uk/content/reversible-cup). While each of theseproducts appears suitable for its intended purpose, none of theseconfigurations provide a satisfactory solution to the need for a simpleand effective way to expose an interior surface of a container forcleaning and drying purposes.

Thus, there has been a long felt, unresolved need for a receptacle whichprovides facile access to, washability and drying of, the inner, orbeverage-contacting, surface.

SUMMARY

A beverage receptacle for easy cleaning and drying can include asidewall and an open end. The sidewall can be manufactured substantiallyof an elastomeric material, such that the receptacle can be fullyeversible as well as resilient. The receptacle can be transformed, viaeversion, between two stable conformations. The first stableconformation can be suitable for containing a beverage, or othersubstance, and the second stable conformation can expose the beveragecontacting surface, thereby facilitating cleaning and drying. Thereceptacle can be resilient, having the capability of maintaining shapein either stable conformation. When in the first stable conformation,the receptacle can be capable of standing upright without assistance.

A capping element can be provided to reversibly cover an open end of thereceptacle. The capping element can be reversibly joined to the open endof the receptacle by an attachment joint to create a fluid tight sealbetween the open end of the receptacle and the capping element. Thereceptacle can sometimes be referred to herein as a “containmentelement”.

The receptacle can define an easily cleanable nursing bottle, includingan eversible sidewall forming the receptacle, a nipple shaped cappingelement, and an attachment member. The receptacle, when in the firststable conformation, can be filled with a fluid or liquid such as milkor baby formula, and the nipple can be reversibly attached to thereceptacle for drinking. When the receptacle is emptied of fluid orliquid contents, the nipple can be removed from the receptacle and thereceptacle can be everted to the second stable conformation. Thebeverage contacting surface can then be easily and thoroughly cleaned,e.g. with a soapy sponge.

A further aspect of the invention relates to an easily cleaned or driedgeneral use beverage receptacle, such as can be used for a sports drinkor a protein shake. In this aspect, the beverage receptacle can includean eversible receptacle, a rigid cap with a drinking opening, and anattachment member.

Other applications of the present invention will become apparent tothose skilled in the art when the following description of a possiblemode contemplated for practicing the invention is read in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The description herein makes reference to the accompanying drawingswherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout theseveral views, and wherein:

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a receptacle in a first stableconformation prior to undergoing eversion;

FIG. 1B is a perspective view of a receptacle undergoing eversion;

FIG. 1C is a perspective view of a receptacle in a second stableconformation after undergoing eversion;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the receptacle of FIG.1A in the first stable conformation;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a nursing bottle including a containmentelement, a nipple-shaped capping element, and an attachment memberhaving two sleeves;

FIG. 4 is a cross-section of the attachment member of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a modified version of the attachmentmember of FIG. 7;

FIG. 6 is a detailed cross-sectional view of the receptacle of FIG. 1Ain the first stable conformation;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a general use bottle, including acontainment element, a rigid cap with an optional protruding apertureand reversible aperture cover, and an attachment member having onesleeve;

FIG. 8 is a detailed cross-sectional view of the receptacle of FIG. 7,including inserts of rigid material in the receptacle sidewall; and

FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view of the receptacle of FIG. 7,additionally including molded ridges in the receptacle sidewall.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to FIGS. 1A-9, a receptacle 10 is disclosed andillustrated to be more amenable to interior cleaning and drying than atypical receptacle. In particular, the receptacle 10 can include atleast one sidewall 12 defining an open end 14, where the receptacle 10is designed to surround and contain a fluid beverage or other material.The receptacle 10 is eversible, wherein the term “eversible” is usedherein to describe a receptacle capable of being reversibly “turnedinside out”, transforming the receptacle 10 between a material holdingconformation 10 a and an everted conformation 10 b for ease of cleaningand drying “interior” surfaces 12 a of the material holdingconformation. In other words, the everted conformation of the receptacle10 enables facile cleaning and drying of a first surface 12 a which isinterior in the material holding conformation opposite from an“exterior” or second surface 12 b which faces outwardly in the materialholding conformation 10 a. The receptacle 10 can be composedsubstantially of a material which possesses a sufficient Young's modulusand sidewall 12 thicknesses to avoid substantial transient deformationof the sidewall 12 under the force of weight of the receptacle 10.

The term “receptacle”, as used herein, can refer to a containerincluding at least one sidewall 12 defining at least one open end 14.The container or receptacle 10 can be capable of partly surrounding andthereby containing a material or substance. The material or substance socontained can be a liquid, such as a beverage or other liquid, a solid,a gas, or any mixture or other combination of solid, liquid, and/or gas,or any intermediate states thereof. The receptacle 10 can be eversible.When a substance contacts the first surface 12 a of the receptacle 10when the receptacle 10 is in the first stable state 10 a, the receptaclecan be said to be containing the substance or housing the substance.

The term “eversible” as used herein, can be defined as the receptaclebeing completely “turned inside out”. The term “eversible” as usedherein, can be further defined as the receptacle 10 being reversiblytransformable between two stable conformations, wherein an interiorsurface and an exterior surface are reversed with respect to oneanother. In the first stable conformation 10 a, the receptacle can havea material contacting surface 12 a facing inward, and a second surface12 b facing outward. In the second stable conformation, the materialcontacting surface 12 a faces outward, and the second surface 12 b facesinward. Any transformation of the receptacle 10 from the first stablestate 10 a to the second stable state 10 b, or vice versa, can bereferred to as an eversion. Any multiplicity of such eversions can bereferred to as repeated eversions.

The receptacle 10 can also be resilient. The term “resilient”, as usedherein, can be defined as the receptacle 10 being resistant to permanentdeformation. The term “resilient” as used herein can be further definedas the receptacle 10 having a tendency to return to one of the twostable conformations, if deformed. The term “resilient” as used hereincan further be defined as the receptacle 10 having a tendency to resistdeformation, permanently or transiently, due to a weight of thereceptacle 10. The resilience of the receptacle 10 can be described interms of yield strain, which as used herein can be defined as the stressor force at which the sidewall 12 begins to deform. Specifically, thesidewall material can be described in terms of fatigue failure. In suchcases, the term “fatigue failure of the sidewall material” can refer tothe situation where eversion, or repeated eversions, results inpermanent deformation of the sidewall material.

The receptacle 10 can also be described in terms of fatigue failure. Theterm “fatigue failure” as used herein, can refer to the situation whereeversion, or repeated eversions, results in permanent deformation of thereceptacle 10.

The term “capping element” 16, as used herein, can be defined as aphysical structure reversibly engageable with the open end 14 of thereceptacle 10. The capping element 16 at least partially covers the openend 14 of the receptacle 10, and at least partially inhibits the exit ofany contained material from the receptacle 10. The capping element 16can comprise at least one surface, wherein the surface is capable ofbeing attached to the open end 14 of the receptacle. Such a surface canbe referred to as an “attachable surface”. When attachment of thecapping element 16 to the open end 14 of the receptacle 10 results information of a fluid tight seal, it can be said that the receptacle is“sealingly engaging” the capping element.

The term “attachment member” 30, as used herein, is defined as at leastone physical structure facilitating engagement of the capping element 16to the open end 14 of the receptacle 10, or tending to inhibitdisengagement of the capping element 16 from the engagement member 30.

The receptacle 10 can include a sidewall 12 made substantially of anelastomeric material. The term “elastomeric” is well known to thoseskilled in the art. As used herein, “elastomeric” or “elastomers” caninclude resilient polymeric materials having a Young's modulus ofbetween approximately 1 megapascal (MPa) to approximately 7 megapascal(MPa), inclusive. Young's modulus, also known as tensile modulus orelastic modulus, also sometimes referred to as the modulus ofelasticity, is a measure of stiffness of an elastic material. Young'smodulus is defined as the ratio of the uniaxial stress over the uniaxialstrain in the range of stress in which Hooke's law holds, which statesthat the displacement of a spring is in direct proportion with a loadapplied to the spring as long as the load does not exceed an elasticlimit of the material. Young's modulus can be experimentally determinedfrom the initial, linear slope portion of a stress-strain curve createdduring tensile tests conducted on a sample of the material. By way ofexample and not limitation, suitable elastomeric materials can includevarieties of silicone, or thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), orthermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), or latex rubber. Suitable varieties ofsilicone can include silicone rubber, liquid silicone rubber,fluorosilicone rubber, silicone-modified ethylene propylene rubber,silicone polyester resin, silicone alkyd resin, silicone epoxy resin,and any combinations thereof. When the sidewall 12 comprises anelastomeric material, this can be referred to as an elastomericsidewall.

A capping element 16 can be made substantially of an elastomericmaterial. Alternatively, the capping element 16 can be madesubstantially of a rigid material. The term “rigid”, as used herein, canbe defined to refer to a material which does not deform during typicaluse, and can possess, but need not necessarily possess, a Young'smodulus of greater than approximately 1 gigapascal (GPa), inclusive. Thereceptacle 10 as disclosed herein can be made substantially of anelastomeric material, and can include inserts 45, as best seen in FIG.8, of a rigid or semi-rigid material. The term “semi-rigid”, as usedherein, is defined to refer to a material with a Young's modulus ofgreater than approximately 7 megapascal (MPa) and less thanapproximately 1 gigapascal (GPa), inclusive. The inserts 45 can becompletely embedded within the receptacle sidewall 12 of the receptacle10. Individual inserts can be annular in shape and can extend along anentire periphery or perimeter of the receptacle containment element.Inserts 45 can be included in any number, and with any spacing betweeninserts. By way of example and not limitation, the inserts can haveequidistant spacing with respect to one another.

The receptacle 10 can include a sidewall 12 defining an open end 14, andan end wall 20 opposite the open end 14. Typically, the sidewall will becontiguous to, or directly adjoining the open end. If an end wall ispresent, it will typically be contiguous to, or directly adjoining thesidewall. The phrase “containment wall” can be used to refer to eitherthe sidewall, or to the sidewall and the end wall together. The end wall20 can include an indentation 22 in the end wall 20. The indentation 22can extend inwardly with a conical shape or can include any other shape,by way of example and not limitation, such as semi-spherical,cylindrical, pyramidal, or trapezoidal. When the shape of theindentation is conical, it can be referred to as a “conicalindentation”. The end wall 20 can include an eversion handle 24. Theterm “eversion handle” 24, as used herein, is defined to refer to areas24 a of the sidewall 12 or end wall 20 possessing localized increasedthickness relative to other portions of the sidewall 12 or end wall 20,and can be used for facilitating manual eversion of the receptacle 10.

The receptacle 10 can include one or more buckle points 26, as best seenin FIG. 6, formed integrally with the sidewall 12. The term “bucklepoint” 26, as used herein, can be defined to refer to a designed intransition point to a decreased thickness region 26 a relative to otherportions of the sidewall 12 where the bottle will tend to strategicallydeform, making eversion easier. If one or more buckle points 26 areprovided, the one or more buckle points 26 would tend to be a region 26a, as best seen in FIG. 6, first to deform during eversion of thereceptacle 10.

The receptacle 10 can include an annular engagement lip 28, as best seenin FIGS. 2 and 4. The term “engagement lip” 28, as used herein, can bedefined to refer to an outward protrusion 28 around the perimeter 14 a,as best seen in FIG. 1A, of the open end 14 of the receptacle 10. Theengagement lip 28 can assist in securing an attachment member 30 to thereceptacle sidewall 12. The engagement lip 28 can additionally include asealing lip 29 as best seen in FIG. 5. The term “sealing lip” 29, asused herein, can be defined to refer to an upward protrusion 29 a, ordownward protrusion 29 b around the perimeter of the engagement lip 28.The sealing lip 29 can tend to cause increased pressure between acapping element 16 and the open end 14 of the receptacle 10, when anattachment member 30 is engaged. An annular flange 34 can be provided ona capping element 16. The term “annular flange” 34 as used herein, canbe defined to refer to a ring-shaped protrusion 34 a around the base ofthe capping element 16 which holds an attachment member 30 in positionto effect reversible attachment of a capping element 16 to thereceptacle 10.

The receptacle 10 can include an open end 14 defined by one or moresidewalls 12, and an end wall 20, wherein a thickness of the end wall 20is greater than a thickness of the sidewall 12. By way of example andnot limitation, a thickness of the end wall 20 can be approximately 2millimeters (mm) and a thickness of the sidewall can be approximately1.5 millimeters (mm). In other words, the buckle point 26 or region 26 acan include a first wall thickness of approximately 1.5 millimeter (mm),and other portions of the containment walls include a second wallthickness of at least approximately 2 millimeter (mm). Alternatively,the buckle point 26 or area 26 a can be defined by a region of thecontainment wall having a first Young's modulus less than a secondYoung's modulus of other portions of the containment wall.

The receptacle 10 can be configured to enclose a beverage. When in afirst stable conformation 10 a, a first surface 12 a of the receptacle10 can face inwardly toward an interior of the receptacle 10. When in asecond stable conformation 10 b, the first surface 12 a can faceoutwardly toward an exterior of the receptacle 10 to be particularlyamenable to cleaning and drying after eversion of the receptacle 10 fromthe first stable conformation 10 a (as best seen in FIG. 1A) to a secondstable conformation 10 b (as best seen in FIG. 1C). The first stableconformation was referred to above as the material holding conformation,and can also be referred to as the normal stable conformation. Thesecond stable conformation was referred to above as the evertedconformation, and can also be referred to as the everted stableconformation. By way of example and not limitation, the receptacle 10can be made in the form of a nursing bottle, or other beverage containerfor general beverage storing or drinking use. The eversion of thereceptacle 10 can facilitate cleaning milk, baby formula, proteinpowder, or other liquid or solid beverage residues from the beveragecontacting surface 12 a of the receptacle 10.

Referring now to FIGS. 1A-1C, a receptacle 10 is illustrated undergoingreversible eversion, between a first stable conformation 10 a and asecond stable conformation 10 b. By way of example and not limitation,FIG. 1B illustrates a possible eversion midpoint 10 c, between a normaluse first stable conformation 10 a shown in FIG. 1A and completeeversion stable conformation 10 b shown in FIG. 1C used for cleaning anddrying. The possible eversion midpoint 10 c demonstrates a possiblemanner of eversion, but does not imply a required direction, sequence,or manner of the manual eversion process. The receptacle 10 includes asidewall 12 defining an open end 14. The sidewall 12 can include acontained substance-contacting surface 12 a and a non-contacting surface12 b. In the first stable conformation 10 a, the containedsubstance-contacting surface 12 a faces inwardly toward an interior ofthe receptacle 10, while the non-contacting surface 12 b faces outward.In the second stable conformation 10 b, the containedsubstance-contacting surface 12 a faces outward and the non-contactingsurface 12 b faces inwardly toward an interior of the receptacle 10.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a cross-section of sidewall 12 is illustrated.The receptacle 10 can include an end wall 20. The end wall 20 caninclude an indentation 22, by way of example and not limitation, such asof conical shape. The sidewall 12 can include a buckle point 26, anengagement lip 28, and sealing lip 29.

Referring now to FIG. 3, by way of example and not limitation, thereceptacle 10 can be made in the form of a nursing bottle 10. Thereceptacle 10 can include a capping element 16 and an attachment member30. The capping element 16 can be formed in the shaped of a nipple.Alternatively, the capping element 16 can be formed in the shape of adisk, a cylinder, or any other shape which would serve the purpose ofinhibiting exit of contained material from the receptacle 10. FIG. 3additionally illustrates a protrusion 18 on the capping element 16 tohelp in taking the cap element 16 on and off from the receptacle 10. Theprotrusion 18 illustrated in FIG. 3 is incorporated into the attachmentmember 30. Additionally, receptacle 10 can include an optional one-wayvalve to diminish negative pressure inside the receptacle created asreceptacle contents are evacuated, and can alternatively be incorporatedinto a receptacle sidewall 12, end wall 20, indentation 22, or cappingelement 16.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a longitudinal detailed cross-section view ofthe receptacle 10 of FIG. 2 is illustrated. By way of example and notlimitation, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the attachment member 30 caninclude two sleeves 30 a, 30 b with complementary threading 33. Onesleeve 30 a can engage with the receptacle 10, while the other sleeve 30b can engage the capping element 16.

Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the attachment member 30 caninclude a single threaded sleeve, wherein the threading 33 a on theattachment member 30 is complementary to threading 33 b on the cappingelement 16. Still referring to FIG. 5, the attachment member 30 caninclude a single threaded sleeve, which includes threading 33 a, thethreading 33 a being complementary to threading 33 b which is directlymolded onto the capping element 16.

Referring now to FIG. 6, a detailed cross section view of the sidewall12 of the receptacle 10 is shown. The illustrated area depicts a bucklepoint 26 in the sidewall 12. The buckle point 26 can be approximately1.5 millimeters (mm) thick, while other regions of sidewall 12 can beapproximately 2 mm thick. In other embodiments, buckle point 26 can havea first Young's modulus less than a second Young's modulus of otherregions of sidewall 12. The buckle point 26 can extend along an entireperiphery or perimeter of the receptacle 10 to define a buckle region 26a.

Referring now to FIG. 7, the receptacle 10 is illustrated in a firststable conformation 10 a with an attachment member 30, and a cappingelement 16 composed substantially of rigid material. The capping element16 can include a protruding passage 40 defining an aperture and aremovable cap 41. The protruding passage 40 can serve as an exit pointfor receptacle contents, for example for drinking a beverage from thereceptacle. The removable cap 41 can serve to reversibly cover theprotruding passage 40 to thereby reversibly prevent evacuation ofreceptacle contents.

Referring again to FIGS. 3-4, the capping element 16 can have a nippleshaped surface with an outwardly projecting annular flange portion. Anattachment member can include a first rigid sleeve 30 a having aninwardly-facing threaded portion 33 adjacent one end. The first rigidsleeve can be of a size to encircle the nipple shaped surface whileengaging with the annular flange portion of the capping element 16 andfit over the open end 14 of the containment element 10. A second rigidsleeve 30 b can have an outwardly-facing complementary threaded portion33 and can be of a size to be fit within the threaded portion 33 of thefirst sleeve 30 a, such that when the threaded portions 33 of the firstand second sleeves 30 a, 30 b are juxtaposed with respect to oneanother, and the threaded portions 33 of the first and second sleeves 30a, 30 b are engaged and tightened via rotary displacement, a fluid tightseal is formed between the annular flange portion of the capping element16 and the open end 14 of the containment element 10.

Referring to FIGS. 7-8, the capping element 16 can have a rigid bodywith a first threaded portion. A protruding passage 40 can define anaperture formed in the rigid body. A cover element 41 can be providedfor reversibly covering the protruding passage 40 defining the aperture.The covering element 41 can be attached to the capping element 16. Anattachment member 30 can have a rigid sleeve with a second threadedportion 33 b complementary to the first threaded portion 33 a. Thesleeve can be of a size to fit over the open end of the containmentelement, such that when the threaded portions of the capping element 16and attachment member 30 are engaged and tightened via rotarydisplacement, the capping element 16 and the open end 14 of thecontainment element 10 are reversibly brought into contact.

Referring now to FIG. 8, a detailed longitudinal cross-sectional view ofsidewall 12 of the receptacle of FIG. 7 is illustrated. The receptaclesidewall 12 can include inserts 45 of rigid material. As used herein,the phrase “inserts of rigid material” can be defined as referring toannular inserts of material, fully embedded within the receptaclesidewall 12, and composed substantially of material which is rigid orsemi-rigid as defined above. Such rigid inserts can improve thestructural stability of receptacle 10 when in stable conformation 10 a.It should be recognized that inserts 45 can be used in the sidewall 12of any configuration of the receptacle 10, and are not limited to use inthe specific sidewall configuration illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8.

Referring now to FIG. 9, a detailed longitudinal cross-sectional view ofsidewall 12 of a receptacle 10 is depicted. The receptacle sidewall 12can include sidewall ridges 46. The phrase “sidewall ridges” as usedherein can be defined to refer to annular regions of increased sidewallthickness, relative to other portions of the sidewall 12, and which aresubstantially parallel to the perimeter 14 a of the open end 14 of thereceptacle 10. The sidewall ridges 46 can improve the structuralstability of receptacle 10 when in the stable conformation 10 a, or canfacilitate holding of receptacle 10. It should be recognized that thesidewall ridges 46 can be used in the sidewall 12 of any configurationof the receptacle 10 and is not limited to use in the specific sidewallconfiguration illustrated in FIG. 9.

While the invention has been described in connection with what ispresently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment,it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to thedisclosed embodiments but, on the contrary, is intended to cover variousmodifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit andscope of the appended claims, which scope is to be accorded the broadestinterpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalentstructures as is permitted under the law.

1. A receptacle for containing a substance comprising: at least onesidewall having a contoured non-linear shape defining a containersubstantially surrounding and enclosing a predetermined volume forhousing the substance contained within the receptacle, wherein the atleast one sidewall includes a substance-contacting surface, wherein thecontainer is reversibly eversible, such that the container reversiblytransforms between a first stable conformation sufficiently stable tostand upright, wherein the substance-contacting surface faces inward,and a second stable conformation sufficiently stable to stand upright,wherein the substance-contacting surface faces outward; and a buckleregion of the sidewall extending peripherally adjacent to a lowerportion of the container allowing the buckle region to strategicallydeform making eversion of the container easier.
 2. The receptacle ofclaim 1 wherein the receptacle is resilient, and has sufficient yieldstrain to prevent permanent deformation and fatigue failure of sidewallmaterial after repeated eversions.
 3. A receptacle for containing asubstance comprising: at least one elastomeric sidewall having acontoured non-linear shape defining a container having a first surface,the container being reversibly eversible between first and second stableconformations, the first stable conformation defined by the firstsurface facing inward, and the second stable conformation defined by thefirst surface facing outward, the at least one elastomeric sidewallhaving resilience, wherein each of the first and second stableconformations is sufficiently stable to stand upright with no additionalsupport, and having sufficient yield strain to prevent permanentdeformation and fatigue failure of the elastomeric sidewall afterrepeated eversions; and a buckle region of the sidewall extendingperipherally adjacent to a lower portion of the container allowing thebuckle region to strategically deform making eversion of the containereasier.
 4. A receptacle for containing a substance comprising: acontainment element including a contiguous containment wall having acontoured non-linear shape defining an open end, the contiguouscontainment wall having a first surface, the containment wall beingcomposed substantially of an elastomeric material, the containmentelement being reversibly eversible, wherein the containment elementreversibly transforms between a normal stable conformation with thefirst surface facing inward, and an everted stable conformation with thefirst surface facing outward, wherein each of the first and secondstable conformations is sufficiently stable to stand upright; and abuckle region of the sidewall extending peripherally adjacent to a lowerportion of the container allowing the buckle region to strategicallydeform making eversion of the container easier.
 5. The receptacle ofclaim 4 further comprising: a capping element having an attachablesurface to removably cover the open end of the containment element whenin the normal stable conformation where the first surface faces inward.6. The receptacle of claim 5 further comprising: an attachment member toreversibly join the capping element to the open end of the containmentelement and provide a fluid tight seal between the capping element andthe containment element.
 7. The receptacle of claim 6, wherein theattachment member includes a rigid sleeve of a size to encircle thecontainment element, wherein a perimeter of the open end has anengagement lip releasably engageable with the attachment member forreversibly and sealingly engaging the capping element.
 8. The receptacleof claim 4, wherein the containment wall of the containment elementfurther comprises: a sidewall contiguous with the open end, and an endwall contiguous with the sidewall opposite from the open end.
 9. Thereceptacle of claim 8, wherein the end wall further comprises: a conicalindentation, extending into an interior of the receptacle when in thenormal stable conformation.
 10. The receptacle of claim 4, wherein theelastomeric material is silicone.
 11. The receptacle of claim 4, whereinthe elastomeric material has a Young's modulus between approximately 1megapascal (MPa) to approximately 7 megapascal (MPa).
 12. The receptacleof claim 4 further comprising: a capping element having a nipple shapedsurface with an outwardly projecting annular flange portion; and anattachment member including a first rigid sleeve having aninwardly-facing threaded portion adjacent one end, the first rigidsleeve of a size to encircle the nipple shaped surface while engagingwith the annular flange portion of the capping element and fit over theopen end of the containment element, and a second rigid sleeve having anoutwardly-facing complementary threaded portion and of a size to be fitwithin the threaded portion of the first sleeve, such that when thethreaded portions of the first and second sleeves are juxtaposed withrespect to one another, and the threaded portions of the first andsecond sleeves are engaged and tightened via rotary displacement, afluid tight seal is formed between the annular flange portion of thecapping element and the open end of the containment element.
 13. Thereceptacle of claim 4 further comprising: a capping element having arigid body with a first threaded portion, a protruding passage definingan aperture formed in the rigid body, and a cover element for reversiblycovering the protruding passage defining the aperture, the coveringelement attached to the capping element; and an attachment member havinga rigid sleeve with a second threaded portion complementary to the firstthreaded portion, and wherein the sleeve is of a size to fit over theopen end of the containment element, such that when the threadedportions of the capping element and attachment member are engaged andtightened via rotary displacement, the capping element and the open endof the containment element are reversibly brought into contact.
 14. Thereceptacle of claim 4, wherein the buckle region of the containment wallfurther comprises: a buckle point defined by a region of the containmentwall having a first wall thickness, where the buckle point having thefirst wall thickness is less than a second wall thickness of otherportions of the containment wall.
 15. The receptacle of claim 14,wherein the buckle point includes the first wall thickness ofapproximately 1.5 millimeter (mm), and other portions of the containmentwall includes the second wall thickness of at least approximately 2millimeter (mm).
 16. The receptacle of claim 4, wherein the buckleregion of the containment wall further comprises: a buckle point definedby a region of the containment wall having a first Young's modulus lessthan a second Young's modulus of other portions of the containment wall.17. The receptacle of claim 4, wherein the containment element isresilient, and has sufficient yield strain to prevent permanentdeformation and fatigue failure of the containment wall after repeatedeversions.
 18. The receptacle of claim 4, wherein the sidewall furthercomprises ridges defined by annular regions of increased sidewallthickness relative to other portions of the sidewall.
 19. The receptacleof claim 4, wherein the containment wall further comprises inserts ofrigid material.
 20. The receptacle of claim 1, wherein the buckle regionfurther comprises: one of a decreased thickness region relative to otherportions of the sidewall and a decreased Young's modulus relative toother portions of the sidewall.